Technologies: the Calinda Hub Architecture

What is a Conversation Space?

The Calinda Hub Architecture is based on the concept of Conversation Spaces, and it’s main component is a centralized conversation management engine named the “ConversationSpace Server”. So, what is a conversation space?

Rich Conversations…

A conversation space is a secure space where a group of people can have structured conversations to exchange information, opinions, ideas, questions and answers, etc. Conversations and the messages they are made of can carry contents such as attached documents, pictures, videos or embedded multimedia.

… where you need them…

People can participate in conversations the way that’s more convenient to them: the “traditional” way using e-mail, the “mobile” way from their smartphone, the “social” way from a dedicated conversational interface or the “business” way: directly in context from the business applications where they are working.

… always structured and centralized

Regardless of the medium people use to participate in conversations or from where, all the conversations are kept structured and securely shared with the right people, who can quickly find information or give some feedback.

The ConversationSpace Server

At the core of our solutions stands the ConversationSpace Server, a high-performance, highly reliable and scalable server that stores and manages conversations between people. The ConversationSpace Server provides its own web interface for users to access conversation directly from their web browser, but in most cases it is used through web services that make the conversations available and interactive in third-party applications. Thanks to patented technologies and mobile apps our customers can install from their mobile devices, the ConversationSpace server also lets users collaborate through the users’ personal e-mail and mobile devices.

The Calinda Hub

Thanks to its APIs and web services, the ConversationSpace Server can be used to feed information from any business applications, and to embed conversations directly inside them, where the business information is. Conversations can be embedded as a complete Conversation Space (a whole group with user permissions) or as a Related Conversations subset, presenting only the conversations that are anchored to a specific object (e.g. a document in an ECM, an opportunity in a CRM, a GPS location, a physical machine, …). When conversations are embedded in several applications at the same time, it creates a collaboration link between these applications, therefore bridging the gap between heterogeneous systems.

Integration Levels

The integration of conversations within business applications can be made at several levels:

Provided plug-in: Calinda provides ready-made plugins for some business applications, that will integrate the conversations in the target environments, take care of the authentication and authorizations, and provide additional conversation-related actions in the business applications (such as “discuss this document” buttons/menus on documents in SharePoint for example).

Embedded conversations with custom web actions: a conversation wall can be easily embedded in a web application just like you embed a youtube video for example. Authentication can then be handled automatically through OAuth, or using a manual authentication mechanism, or transparently based on the location where the embed is made. Our javascript APIs make it very easy to add common custom actions (start a discussion, view associated conversations, etc.)

System-level processes integration: In other scenarios, external systems can be programmed to publish new posts (such as events or alerts) in the ConversationSpace Server to interact with users at the system level.

Deployment Options: Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid

The ConversationSpace Server can be deployed on your company’s premise, in a private cloud shared between several organizations, or used as a Cloud Server from Calinda.

Likewise, your cloud and on-premise business applications can be connected to the ConversationSpace Server, assuming there is TCP/IP connectivity from their location to the ConversationSpace Server. Communications are encrypted and authenticated to ensure a high level of security for your data.

Testimonials

Calinda Software's compatibility with Outlook was a key factor for the group's Direction of Innovation to choose the solution. As a result, it integrates easily in the collaboration processes of our employees.